Row breaks out over this chicken between BJP ruled Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh

The reason for its high price is said to be due to its delectable taste, low cholesterol and high protein content.

A tug of war regarding the Geographical Indication (GI) tag rights of the Indian breed black winged chicken, Kadaknath, has broke out and the row has taken a serious turn after two BJP-ruled states Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh demanded claims to the prized bird. (Source: Kadaknathchicken.blogspot.com)

A tug of war regarding the Geographical Indication (GI) tag rights of the Indian breed black winged chicken, Kadaknath, has broke out and the row has taken a serious turn after two BJP-ruled states Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh demanded claims to the prized bird. According to a report by Hindustan Times, the bird is in high demand in both the states even though its meat costs Rs 500 per kg, which is five times more than the cost of a normal broiler chicken. The reason for its high price is said to be due to its delectable taste, low cholesterol and high protein content. Madhya Pradesh had filed an application with the Geographical Indication (GI) registry office in Chennai in 2012 (Application No 378) claiming that Kadaknath originated from Jhabua district. Kadaknath breed in Madhya Pradesh’s Jhabua district is sold by a Gramin Vikas Trust, an NGO responsible for running the cooperative breeding the bird to various institutes in Gujarat, Maharashtra and south India.

But, competition ensued immediately after Jhabua district found out that Chhattisgarh had also filed for a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for the same chicken, as Dantewada has been reportedly successful breeding of the bird. Madhya Pradesh’s Jhabua district administration feared that they might lose the GI tag for Kadaknath to Chhattisgarh. Following this, Jhabua district collector wrote to MP’s animal husbandry department asking the government to take necessary action regarding the claim put forth by Chhattisgarh. The animal husbandry department has informed that they have doubled their efforts to achieve the GI tag and they would get the recognition soon as they are facing problems like getting the blood test done of the chicken. It can be only be done abroad, according to an official.

Meanwhile, Dantewada collector has said that they have applied for the GI tag in 2017 compared to MP who applied for it in 2012. The collector emphasised that there are a lot of formats to be considered before awarding the tag and they have applied under the breed preservation and conservation section.